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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · march · craft · row · mine · bank · key · spring

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. march — the month
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. march — music
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — in music
  11. bank — of a river
  12. craft — boats
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. mine — for digging
  16. spring — of water
  17. march — the month
  18. row — a line
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. spring — a coil
  22. field — farmland
  23. spring — the season
  24. key — the most important part

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com